Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1984)
Clackamas Community College Wednesday, February .8, 1984 Vol. XVII, No. 14 Oregon sales tax off March ballot Effect on levy vote uncertain By Shelley Ball Of The Print Nearly two months after Clackamas Community Col lege’s Board of Education members voted not to support putting the Oregon sales tax issue on the March 27 ballot, Oregon’s Supreme Court declared the proposal un constitutional, which led to the tax’s removal from the ballot. The Court ruled the state Legislature’s decision to let local governments and school districts decide whether the sales tax should be placed on the March ballot violated Oregon’s Constitution, prom pting Secretary of State Nor ma Paulus to order the pro posal removed from the ballot. In December of 1983 the College’s Board voted 5-2 not to refer the sales tax to the people, because they felt the job of ratifying the issue for the ballot was the responsibili ty of the Legislature instead of local governments and school districts. ( Inside; 1 The Beatles: The first of a two-part series dedicated to their two- decade anniver sary—Page 5 Former Clackamas harrier meets Olympic quali fying time in marathon, heads for trials—Page 7 L_______J College President John Hakanson had said that a sales tax would not provide a direct increase of money to the Col lege, but he explained the tax’s estimated 40-45 percent reduc tion in property taxes would have made it easier to get peo ple to vote on the upcoming levy election. ‘Our posture has always been that whether or not the sales tax is there, we (College levy) will have to be’ The College’s levy elec tion is scheduled for March 27, and the fact the sales tax will not be joining it on the ballot could, Hakanson said, have either a positive or negative impact on the levy. Hakanson explained the absence of the tax on the ballot could be positive for the levy in that those people op posing the tax will be in a more positive mood when they go to the polls. However, Hakanson said the tax’s removal could affect the levy by lightening the voter turnout. But no matter what effect the sales tax will have on the College’s levy, Hakanson said, “Our posture has always been that whether or not the sales tax is there, we (College levy) will have to be.” “Contacting more people personally, and letting them know the sooner we (College) pass the levy, the less expen sive it will be for the voters,” is one way Hakanson mention ed would help to combat the possibility of lower voter tur nout at the polls. To do this would require getting more student volunteers to call peo ple to remind them to vote, Hakanson said. As for the future of the sales tax, Governor Vic Atiyeh may call the Legislature into a special session Feb. 15 if he can be assured by Senate President Edward N. Fadeley- and House Speaker Grattan Kerans that both houses will provide a majority vote to legally put the tax before the voters. At a recent press con ference, however, Fadeley said he was unable to assure Atiyeh of the majority 16 votes in the Senate that are needed to put the issue on the ballot once more. Should the sales tax be repassed, it is now expected to be presented before the voters no earlier than the primary election in May. BIG BROTHER’S WATCHING OVER YOU—Majestic Mt. Hood shows-off its beauty to Clackamas Community College Scheduled tax debate threatened by ruling A sales tax presentation which was scheduled to be of fered Wednesday, Feb. 15 at Clackamas Community Col lege may not be held due to the recent Supreme Court ruling which removed the sales tax proposal from the March 27 ballot. Ed Mills, economics in structor at the College and organizer of the debate, is waiting for a confirmation concerning Governor Vic Atiyeh’s calling of a special session. Once a decision is made, Mills will be able to go ahead with the presentation. Atiyeh said that he would call a special meeting with legislators if he could be assured a majority vote in both houses to put the sales tax before the voters for the May primaries. If Mills is assured that there will be a special session, then another problem exists: Rep. Darlene Hooley and Rep. Chuck Bennet, the scheduled speakers at the presentation, will need to confirm whether or not they can make the 7-p.m. program in the McLoughlin Theater at the College. “If the sales tax isn’t go ing to go before the voters, it would be senseless to have it (the presentation),” Mills said. “By the time it goes through all the legislation again, it will be a different proposal even though it will be technically the same. Hooley will offer the sup portive side of the measure, while Bennet will cover the op posing side. After their ex change, Richard Munn, direc tor of the Oregon State Department of Revenue, is scheduled to offer a historical view of the sales tax. A definite confirmation will be made by Mills by the end of the week. For more in formation contact the Public Information Office, ext. 440. Monday, Feb. 6. Clear skies and warmer temperatures have been a delight to Oregonians this past week. Photo by Joel Miller